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Haymaking Anyone?

May 5, 2011 - Posted by Ellie

Photo credit: dicktay2000

Is the sun shining where you are?

“Make Hay While the Sun Shines” means to take advantage of a brief opportunity while it is still there. To not waste time. The saying comes from farming communities. There would often be only a short time in which the hay would be ready to cut – reap too soon, and the hay would be too green. Reap too late, and you run the risk of rain ruining it all.

— Urban Dictionary

In other words, this cliché tells us: Continue reading » Haymaking Anyone?

Lake Martin Tornado Damage April 2011 - 103

Change is the Foundation for Growth

May 4, 2011 - Posted by PattiAnn

Photo credit: LakeMartinVoice

In balance, there is no movement. It is the striving toward balance that drives us forward in life.

— Gregg Braden

It seems that my entire work life, there has always been a struggle to get to a balanced state. I feel as if I struggle to find time that isn’t committed to someone else – the job, the dog, my family. And, no matter how much I do for each of these, I feel as if I am shorting someone else. I had always thought of balance as being Continue reading » Change is the Foundation for Growth

My Depressed Stance

February 23, 2011 - Posted by Ellie

Photo credit: Rojer

How’s your posture? What does it tell about you?

This is my “depressed stance.” When you’re depressed, it makes a lot of difference how you stand. The worst thing you can do is straighten up and hold your head high because then you’ll start to feel better. If you’re going to get any joy out of being depressed, you’ve got to stand like this.

— Charlie Brown

Can’t you just hear your Mother saying “Stand up straight! Shoulders back! Point your toes out.” Well, maybe your Mom didn’t demand that last one… my Mom decided early on that her little ones were Continue reading » My Depressed Stance

Who’s In Charge Here?

January 13, 2011 - Posted by PattiAnn

Photo credit: Melody Campbell

You become what you think about.

— Earl Nightingale

Last week, in her post Trapped in the Clutches of Ambiguity, Ellie reported on a dialogue that she observed between her Left Brain and her Right Brain.

LeftBrain (LB) – Wait! What street was that? We don’t know where we’re going!

RightBrain (RB) – Chill, we’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing.

LB – Where are we? We are so lost! How will we get back?

RB – Not to worry, I’ve got it covered, really, I DO.

LB – Turn back now. We’re lost and getting lost-er!

RB – Shush, I’ve got it… I KNOW how to get back and I know where to turn – what I don’t know is how to explain it. So, if you’ll just be quiet we’ll get there and we could even have some fun doing so!!!

For example, several years ago I was part of the team running an international convention at our local convention center. Having a little time “off”, a friend and I were going to attend a session. I walked out of the staff room and went right. My friend asked where I was going. I told her. She pointed out that it was quicker to go the other direction. My response… only when you know how to get there. I was totally lost unless I used my one known route to everything. Mapquest is a major part of my life.

It reminded me of some many similar conversations that I have in my head. The difference between Ellie and me is that for her, the Right Brain is Continue reading » Who’s In Charge Here?

How to Know If It’s Time for a Fresh Start

September 28, 2010 - Posted by Ellie

Photo credit: Retinafunk

Is your Wheel of Life giving you a bumpy ride?

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

— Albert Camus

The lazy, crazy days of summer have evaporated – poof, they’re gone! Bye-bye summer. And now we’re counting down to the end of a decade with these last few months of the year. Oh my.

September = Time for a Fresh Start?

Author and speaker Julie Winkle Giulioni of DesignArounds.com recently acknowledged the change of seasons and then posed a challenge: Continue reading » How to Know If It’s Time for a Fresh Start